


Definitely Maybe

by YumKiwiDelicious



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, California, Established Relationship, Future Fic, M/M, Pining Steve Harrington, botched proposal, the gossip mill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:15:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23674477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YumKiwiDelicious/pseuds/YumKiwiDelicious
Summary: “How long are you going to wait, Steve?” Max asked quietly.“For what?”“She’s asking when you’re going to propose to Billy, Steve. You’ve had the ring for six months now,” Nancy said, her tone snippy.“How do you know about that!?” Steve sounded both surprised and a little upset.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Comments: 5
Kudos: 160





	Definitely Maybe

Steve sighed quietly as the door closed behind him, encasing him in darkness. His flight back from Indiana had been delayed for hours, so he found himself home at some God-awful time trying not to wake Billy. The bastard was cranky enough when he got a full night’s sleep; Steve had no desire to tangle with him when his much needed beauty sleep was interrupted. Still, the young man smiled as he made his way into the apartment and settled his luggage out of the way. He Knew he loved Billy even on his grouchiest days, which was why he’d spent days on end with Max searching for the perfect engagement ring just before he’d left Hawkins. 

Steve had never really intended to spend too much time with his parents when they’d called to say they had purchased a ticket for him to visit home  _ alone _ . The two had never fully accepted Billy as their son’s boyfriend and so blatantly pretended he didn’t exist and rarely spoke of Steve’s living arrangement in California. The intentional exclusion of Billy from the trip plans had been extremely aggravating, but the blonde had insisted Steve go if only to get the Harrington’s off their backs for the next few months.

Steve had no real plans of returning to Indiana after he finally popped the question to Billy. No way would his parents ever come to the wedding even if he invited them so there was nothing to go back for really. Except the kids. But pretty soon they’d be old enough to make the trip themselves and then The Party could finally be reunited in earnest. Either way, he would not leave California again as long as Billy slept in their dingy little apartment in Venice Beach. The former king of Hawkins High was so excited at the prospect of being legally bound to Billy he could practically feel the question bubble up behind his teeth every time he spoke to his boyfriend over the past few weeks. He wouldn’t be surprised if he asked Billy to marry him over coffee in the morning.

Steve pulled off his travel wrinkled shirt as he walked down the hallway. The door to their bedroom was slightly ajar, and as he pushed it open slowly to reduce the sound of it sliding over the carpet his eyes quickly flicked over to Billy. His boyfriend was wrapped up in the blankets and curled almost into a ball on Steve’s side of the bed. He smiled at the sight, huffing out an amused breath as he moved on to the closet. Billy refused to admit that he hated the cold weather, but with Christmas just around the corner, this nightly theft of blankets had been happening more and more often.

Steve carefully removed his jeans, hanging them back up in the closet and pulling on a soft pair of drawstring pants to wear to bed. He climbed into bed on Billy’s side and slowly began to unravel the cocoon his boyfriend had built around himself, spreading the blankets and sheets back out. As he finally relaxed into the pillows, he rolled to the side and carefully brought Billy into the circle of his arms, replacing the blankets’ warmth with his own.

The blonde young man stirred slightly, and his long lashes fluttered against his cheeks. “Steve?” he mumbled sleepily as he snuggled closer into his boyfriend’s body.

“Hey, babe,” Steve whispered with a smile. “Sorry to wake you.”

“Hn,” Billy breathed out, easily going back to sleep.

Steve spent a few seconds taking in the sight of Billy’s face bathed in moonlight and relaxed in sleep. It was a sight not many could claim to have seen, and Steve was determined that he would be the last person to ever be able to see Billy like this. His small smile bloomed into a large grin as he thought about the ring tucked away in his suitcase, and he gently pulled Billy closer to him, suddenly just wanting to test the words when Billy couldn’t hear him.

“Hey, Billy,” he whispered, “Marry me?”

Billy stirred again. “No,” he grumbled out, and Steve froze.

“Wha-...Billy?” he stuttered, but the other man didn’t twitch or respond, so Steve was left to believe that the man was still asleep.

He let out a shaky breath. That had shocked him, and if he was honest, the unconscious rejection of his proposal  _ hurt _ , but he wasn’t going to think about that now. He was tired, so he was going to fall asleep, the man he loved held tightly in his arms, and he would deal with this—whatever this was—later.

* * *

Billy scowled at his coffee cup as he took in the phone number the barista had scribbled across the top. Just what exactly was it about him that invited others to proposition him like this? It would be annoying even if he  _ wasn’t _ in a very committed relationship. Clicking his tongue and pointedly ignoring the barista, Billy walked away from the bar and joined Nancy and Jonathan at their table. He very calmly threw himself down in a huff and pushed his cup onto the table, caring little for the bit of coffee that sloshed out of the small opening of the lid.

“What’s got your panties in a twist?” Nancy asked as she scrolled through something on her phone.

“The usual,” Jonathan answered for him as he twisted Billy’s cup to see the phone number. “Maybe you should get _ ‘Property of Steve’ _ tattooed across your forehead.”

Billy glared as Nancy snorted and added, “Like that would deter some people.” She tapped out a quick message on her phone before setting it down and picking up her own coffee. “Okay, I think we’ve finally finished buying gifts.”

“Ugh, thank God,” Jonathan groaned as he massaged his temples. “Why does it seem to get harder and harder every year? I think next Christmas I’m just going to give everyone a hearty handshake and a pat on the back.”

Billy smirked as he fiddled with the tip of his earring. “I think the only person who would appreciate that kind of gift would be Dustin.” His smirk smoothed out into a small smile as he thought about his boyfriend’s favorite idiot. The kids were back in Indiana, but Steve insisted on talking with them daily and flying them out often.

“What did you get Steve?” Nancy asked.

“What does it matter? That moron would be happy with a Polaroid of the kids.”

Nancy rolled her eyes. “Geez, how romantic. I don’t know what Steve sees in you sometimes. No clue why he wants to marry you at all.”

Billy’s retort froze in his throat while Jonathan hissed out Nancy’s name in anger. The young woman blushed and tried to back-pedal, but her agitated state made it clear to Billy that she hadn’t just made it up.

Leaning forward, he motioned for her to shut up and calmly asked, “What the hell are you talking about, Wheeler?”

“Nothing, she’s talking about nothing, Billy,” Jonathan chimed in hastily, but a harsh glare in his direction had the photo major sighing and rubbing his hands over his face. “Okay, okay. Man, Steve’s going to kill us.”

Billy glanced between the high school sweethearts; Nancy was blushing and staring down at the table while Jonathan frowned at his girlfriend chidingly. Billy leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, waiting them out. They’d tell him eventually; he’d make sure they didn’t leave until they did.

“Fine!” Nancy said, leaning back and crossing her arms in a huff. “Steve’s going to propose. There.”

Billy sat in stunned silence for a moment. Steve was going to do what now? He swallowed. “How do you know?” he asked quietly.

“Um, he bought a ring,” Jonathan offered. “He took Max with him and everything.”

Billy clenched his jaw;  _ of course _ his sister knew about it. “Do you know when?”

Nancy and Jonathan shared a look, probably concerned at his lack of  _ joy _ at the prospect. “No, we don’t know when, exactly. But with Christmas just around the corner, it could be soon,” Nancy offered.

Billy nodded. So…  _ soon _ , then. Billy turned his head and glanced outside at the snow-covered bushes and passing cars. Steve was going to propose, huh? Billy honestly had no idea how to feel about that. He didn’t think he was completely against it, but even he could acknowledge that he wasn’t exactly excited about it either. There was no doubt that he loved Steve, but was he ready to be married? Did he even want to be married?

Sighing quietly, Billy resigned himself to the inevitability of having Steve ask. He’d think long and hard about his answer in the meantime. He may not know how he felt about marrying Steve, but he by no means wanted to lose the man, so his answer was going to be very, very important to both.

* * *

Billy was on pins and needles, just waiting for Steve to pop the question. Christmas came and went without a proposal, as did New Year’s, Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Independence Day, every bank-holiday Monday, and every humdrum day in between. Billy still didn’t know what his answer was going to be, but he was starting to go a little crazy just sitting around waiting to be asked.

There were moments, of course, when he was alone with his thoughts and realized that, if he still didn’t know what he would answer after all these months, he clearly didn’t  _ want _ to get married. But he wasn’t confident in this answer because every time he imagined declining Steve’s proposal, he would see that expressive face in his mind filled with hurt and sorrow, and he couldn’t imagine doing that to the man he loved.

When these thoughts became overwhelming, Billy tried hard to forget about it altogether. Steve was taking his sweet time proposing, and when Billy remembered that, he found himself thinking whatever happened would happen. And whatever that happened to be, he refused to lose Steve because of it. When Billy put his mind to something, it unerringly got done, which is how he found himself stunned and frozen on the couch, wrapping paper forgotten in his lap, as he stared at the small velvet box in his hand, his friends gathered around him and looking on in surprised delight.

It was his “birthday gift” from Steve, and Billy’s annoyance at how Steve was finally proposing in this kind of impersonal way – just handing him a wrapped present and settling back against the couch in apparent nonchalance – was overshadowed by a surprising amount of excitement and anticipation for what was about to happen.

Slowly, with slightly trembling fingers, Billy opened the small red box, his breath shaky as the lid peeled back…

…and revealed a pair of gold earrings. Beautiful hoops that looked to be specially crafted to match his nonchalant yet simultaneously extravagant style and taste...but it wasn’t a ring.

And this wasn’t a proposal.

And Billy was shocked at how disappointed he felt about it.

He could feel the discomfort in the room – his friends’ and Steve’s. He realized he hadn’t spoken for a while, so he cleared his throat as he closed the box and turned a tremulous smile Steve’s way. “They’re great, babe. Thank you.”

Steve grinned at him in relief before he leaned in close to Billy’s ear and whispered, “To be honest, they’re more for me, ‘cause every time I see them, I think I’m going to want to pin you against a wall and do… just about anything.”

Billy couldn’t help the small shiver that traveled up his back; Steve just did that to him. But the small heat his lover’s words produced wasn’t enough to overshadow that confusing disappointment that still permeated his being.

“I bet,” he whispered in answer anyway, not wanting Steve to think he felt anything other than grateful for the thoughtful gift. But he clearly needed a moment before he could turn his attention to the room – to their friends, the kids, and his sister who all had known about Steve wanting to propose – so he placed his hand on Steve’s knee and squeezed reassuringly as he said, “Be back in a minute.”

Steve frowned in confusion, sharp concern shading his brown eyes, so Billy gave him another small smile before standing up and walking to their bedroom. He lightly pulled the door behind him so that it gave him some privacy, but didn’t close all the way. An entirely closed door in this house meant someone was  _ upset _ , and Billy by no means wanted to give Steve that impression.

He didn’t even know  _ why _ he was so disappointed. Sighing quietly, he moved to the dresser and set the small box on top of it, opening the lid again to look at the earrings inside. He hadn’t been lying; they were stunningly beautiful and expertly crafted. Billy found himself wondering what a ring made to match would look like.

Found himself wanting such a ring.

It clicked suddenly. Despite months of fretfully believing he didn’t want to marry the man set to propose to him, he realized he’d been anticipating it,  _ wanting _ it. He  _ wanted _ Steve to propose, and he wanted to say  _ yes _ .  _ That _ was the source of his disappointment. Weird.  


He could hear the low murmur of conversation from the living room, pulling him from his thoughts. Closing the box, he decided to return to his party and think about how to encourage Steve to ask later. However, a s he moved into the hallway, the conversation became clearer, and he paused.

“How long are you going to wait, Steve?” Max asked quietly.

“For what?”

“She’s asking when you’re going to propose to Billy, Steve. You’ve had the ring for six months now,” Nancy said, her tone snippy.

“How do you know about that!?” Steve sounded both surprised and a little upset.

There was a momentary pause before Nancy answered. “Dustin told me.”

“I’m sorry, Steve!” Dustin said hastily; Steve must have leveled the younger boy with one of his infrequent, but no less potent glares. “It slipped out!”

“How do you even know about it?” Steve was starting to sound angry rather than upset now.

“Sorry, Steve. I told the guys why I couldn’t hang out the last few days you were in town,” Max explained. Billy knew Steve would forgive Max for blabbing, as Max rarely kept secrets from the Party and probably hadn’t expected it to be a secret for quite so long.

“So does everyone know?” Steve asked a little hesitantly.

“Probably,” Will offered. “But does that really matter? Max does have a good question. Why are you waiting so long to ask Billy?”

“I’m… I’m not waiting.”

“Then why aren’t you asking?” Nancy pressed.

Silence – tense and heavy, causing a slight feeling of dread to build inside Billy.

“Because I already did,” Steve answered quietly.

“What?” several people said together.

“What are you talking about, Steve?” Jonathan asked, his tone shocked.

Steve sighed loudly. “I already kind of asked him, and he said no.”

“Explain,” Dustin commanded, but it had been said softly and encouragingly.

Steve sighed again. “Back in December, when I came back from that trip. It was late, so I slipped into bed with Billy and just sort of, you know, asked...and he said no.”

Silence, again; Billy tried to keep his breathing calm as he racked his brain for a memory of this. He didn’t even remember Steve coming home that night, just waking up on Steve’s side of the bed in the morning to find Steve’s arms around him and his warm body pressed snuggly against Billy’s back. It had been… one of the most intense moments of peace and contentment he’d ever felt in his life.

“Steve, was Billy awake when you asked?” Nancy asked calmly, breaking Billy from his thoughts.

“Well, not exactly.”

“You idiot!” Mike hissed. “How could you even-”

“I know!” Steve cut him off. “I know it’s not really the same as asking. But, when I heard him say no, it just… it just caused a lot of doubt. What if Billy really did say no? What we have is so, so good – something I never thought I’d have in my life. Why chance it all because I want something that Billy might not?”

“Oh, Steve…”

“You know what? Let’s… let’s stop talking about it. I love you guys, but it’s between me and Billy, right? And since Billy doesn’t know, it’s not an issue, okay? We’re fine.” Silence greeted his statement, and he sighed again. “I’m going to step out for a moment, guys. Let Billy know I’ll be right back – tell him I went to the store, or something.”

Then Steve’s footsteps sounded across the floor, and the front door opened and closed. Billy blinked a small bit of wetness from his eyes and continued into the living room. All eyes turned to look at him.

“Keep partying. There’s booze and cake in the kitchen. I’m going after Steve.”

Billy made his way to the door, and no one moved to stop him. Not that he would have let them keep him from Steve. He walked quickly down the corridor, forgoing the elevator for the stairs, and exited the lobby of their condo complex. He looked side to side, not quite sure where Steve might have gone. He’d told everyone to say he went to the store, but Billy knew that wasn’t where he’d gone.

There were several places Steve liked to go when he was upset – the pet store, Nancy and Jonathan’s place, the park-

Billy turned quickly to his left and practically ran to the park. Steve always went there after a fight with him, times when their relationship was… in doubt. Those trips had become less and less frequent over the years, but personalities as different as theirs still clashed every now and again, so Billy still found himself going there and picking up his sulking boyfriend sometimes. They’d sit in awkward silence, one of them would apologize – and sometimes it was even  _ Billy _ apologizing, contrary to popular opinion – and then they’d go home together.

Billy was determined that would happen this time, too.

He ran through the park entrance, his eyes zeroing in on  _ their  _ bench And there his idiot brunette was, sitting forward, his hands clasped together and hanging down between his thighs. Billy paused, trying to get his breathing back under control, and then he walked slowly over to the bench and sat down quietly, close to Steve, but with some space between them. Steve’s head turned the slightest bit in his direction, acknowledging his presence, but he didn’t say anything. Billy didn’t really know what to say either, but he knew he had to say something. Rubbing his fingers softly against his jeans, he cleared his throat.

“This doesn’t look like the store, pretty boy.”

Steve snorted, slightly amused, and he leaned back against the bench. “How much did you hear?”

“Enough, but I’ve known about the ring since just before Christmas.”

“Ugh, can’t anyone keep a secret anymore?”

Billy smirked. “You probably shouldn’t have involved the Party if that was what you were going for. Rookie mistake.” Steve didn’t respond to that, so after a moment, Billy continued, “So, are you ever planning to ask me?”

Steve fidgeted, his right leg bouncing up and down. “I want to,” he said quietly. “But you heard; I’m afraid that you don’t want the same.”

Billy took a moment to think about how he wanted to answer. “I probably didn’t.” Steve turned his head to look at him, so he did the same. “I don’t remember that night, babe, the one when you came home from your trip. I don’t think you’re making that shit up though. I probably would've said no if you asked me back then.”

Steve blinked and looked away. Billy reached for his left hand and squeezed.

“When Wheeler and Byers told me that you got a ring, I honestly didn’t know how to feel about that shit. I mean Christ...I didn’t know if I wanted to be married. I love you, pretty boy, and I don’t wanna lose you, but I thought about all the nice ways I could let you down easy when you asked. But then you never did.”

Steve squeezed his hand too and then turned his body so that he was facing Billy, one leg curled up in front of him while the other stayed on the ground. Billy scooted closer so that his boyfriend’s leg touched his thigh.

“Is that… still how you feel?” Steve asked softly.

Billy sighed and looked out at the park landscape. He missed smoking. “When I unwrapped that box, I was pissed you would wait to ask in front of everyone on my birthday of all fuckin’ days..but then when it wasn’t a ring I was  _ so _ fuckin’ disappointed. I figured...I was kinda lookin’ forward to the ring. Kinda wanted it now.”

He looked back at Steve and saw the bright, hopeful grin on his stupidly happy face.  _ Adorable _ .

“So,” Steve drawled, “Should I ask you now?”

Billy shook his head slowly. “Hell no.”

Steve’s smile faded, a bit of confusion and a shade of hurt coloring his eyes. Billy turned his body to face Steve and reached for Steve’s other hand and held them both tightly. 

“I’m gonna ask you.” Steve’s breath hitched as Billy leaned forward. “Pretty boy, will you marry me?”

“Holy shit, Billy,” Steve whispered, his eyes wide. Billy quirked an eyebrow as he smiled. “Shit,” Steve breathed out before lunging forward and kissing Billy quickly on the lips. “Shit, Hargrove, yes!” he said breathily, going back in for several more kisses.

Billy smiled into each of Steve’s little kisses, and then he let go of Steve’s hands to grasp his head and tilt it for a fuller, more sensual kiss. It was lazy, yet passionate, and the thought that he was now kissing his  _ fiancé _ made Billy indescribably happy.

He pulled away from Steve’s lips and brought their foreheads together. “Let’s go home before the rugrats eat all our food.”

“Yeah,” Steve breathed out. They stayed together for another minute before rising from the bench and leaving the park hand in hand.

As they walked back to their condo, Billy couldn’t help but notice the way Steve practically skipped at his side. He smirked. “So where’s my ring, Harrington?”

He didn’t expect his fiance’s playful response: “You asked me, asshole; I should be asking you where’s mine!”


End file.
